This page is the main/general ideas behind the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments

13th Amendment: Abolition of Slavery

The 13th amendment abolished slavery permanently for all slaves in the Southern states. It was passed and ratified on January 31, 1865. So why was the 13th amendment added to the Constitution? What was its importance? There were both pros and cons for this amendment. The 13th amendment freed the slaves, but just because they were freed didn't mean that they would get the same rights, in fact they didn't. When they were freed they didn't have the same rights as white people and were not treated fairly. Until the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were ratified, the slaves were freed but they didn't have any rights.

14th Amendment

The fourteenth amendment was ratified on July 28, 1868. Before it was made, African Americans were not treated fairly and didn't have the same rights as white people, even though they had been freed. The fourteenth amendment gave full citizenship to all people. It said all people born in the United States, no matter what race, was a citizen and you could not deny any citizen "life, liberty, or property without due process of the law". It widened the boundaries of civil rights for all Americans. What it did not say, however, was that although the Constitution stated that, that did not include the Native Americans.

15th Amendment

The fifteenth amendment granted all citizens the right to vote. It cannot be denied by the government because of their race. This was ratified in February 3, 1870 so they didn't former slaves were free, and had some rights, but they didn't have the right to vote until this amendment was ratified. This amendment excluded women, and was mainly created for African American men.